Reviews (page 5 of 8)
pa dobro, ali ništa posebno. bilo mi je dobro za slušanje nakon ovih usranih vajt strajpsa. no mislio sam da će mi biti puno puno bolje nego što je u konačnici bilo
If I were a indie/punk rock singer from the 90s I think this is what I would sound like (I am far from a good singer). All that said, this wasn't as annoying as I assumed it would be from the album art. I don't need to listen again but I didn't need to turn the volume down too much and that's a key metric in my evaluations.
Reminds me of Weezer. I didn't like the singing style at first but it grew on me.
se a ravenna fosse uma adolescente em 94 e não uma bebê, ela teria amado esse
Extremely standard soft rock.
Haven’t heard many songs from this era that have this sound. I liked the music but the singer and lyrics especially didn’t really resonate with me. Nice vibes on a walk but only the final song really stood out. Felt like the only single worthy track that was polished enough throughout.
It actually sounds quite of the pleasant Ness but if the singer was better it would be higher
Some good tracks, some just filler and noises
It was fine in an excessively 90s sort of way.
90s
3.5/5
It’s okay
Feels like a band I should love. I bet this really hit if you were in your 20s in the early nineties. We have much to learn from Gen X.
I do like it but it’s also a bit too arch for me….
Wie so oft höre ich das Album im Homeoffice. Es stört mich nicht bei der Arbeit, animiert mich aber auch nicht zum Mittwippen oder zum konzentrierten Hören. Erst der Titel "Range Life" passt in mein Beuteschema. Den merk ich mir. Ansonsten: Na, ja!
emo ahh
This was a perfectly listenable alt rock album. Listened while on a run and didn’t mind any of it, even if it didn’t have a lasting impression. Would enjoy in the background of a restaurant or bar or something
It was fine but not that memorable of an album. I liked it but a few hrs later, not one song stuck in my head.
generic
It wasnt too bad
Knew them by name, but never gave them a try. A pleasant listen overall - very typical mid-90s indie sound, with the immediately recognizable laid-back vibe, fuzzy guitar and bittersweet (or stoned) vocals of that time period. I would have loved them if I had discovered them back in the days, but now it doesn't do much for me. I've heard that kind of sound too many times, and I've moved away from it. Now it just sounds like another mid-90s clone (even if I know it's unfair to them, since they were certainly closer to the original than to the copy). There are a few nice experiments with noise and weird basslines (or even the jazz piano in 5-4), but it's not radical enough to keep me excited the way Sonic Youth does. I'll keep these guys in mind, but I probably won't go out of my way to dig deeper into their discography. 6/10
3,5
90s indie rock. Very standard fare, simple guitar rock.
Parts were definitely unpleasant but my pretentious, emo, teenage former-self asked to keep listening and I’m glad I did. The singing is atrocious but the sound is enjoyable and ahead of its time
Grungy average rock.
You can't fool me, this is just 3 Blur albums in a trenchcoat
Never actually listened to Pavement before, not bad, can see the influence on a bunch of stuff I like.
Some good, some odd. I like it and hate it simultaneously. How does that happen? Sorcery!
I had never heard of Pavement before, but I kind of liked this record. Probably a 3.5 for me, but I don’t like it quite enough to make it a four. Three stars.
Pavement isn't doing anything radically new on this record but they do pull together a lot of threads of rock music in an interesting way. Chief songwriter Stephen Malkmus pushes his songs in somewhat off-kilter directions, but it's never weird-for-the-sake-of-being-weird, and it keeps his tunes from lapsing into cliché. Malkmus' voice also has a lot of character, and he can move through a range of emotions within a single song without coming across as theatrical or artificial.
I like Pavement's sound a lot. This was a solid album typical of the 90's.
Have never heard this. It’s ok. Wouldn’t intentionally put this on
I like their earlier stuff better but this is the one that has the singles, so..
i mean its okay
I still remembered the name of the band well, even though I couldn't remember any of their songs. I liked the album, but it didn't blow me away to the point where I absolutely had to hear more from them. 3/5
Too noisy.
This is a decent indie rock album by one of the best indie rock bands. Is it as good as Slanted And Enchanted, not by half. Is it as good as Wowee Zowee, nope. It is a decent Pavement album, I think you would get more out of those other two. I also think that this should not be on the list this spot should have been taken by one of the many other bands from that period that are not on here like Yo La Tengo, Polvo, I'll even go out on a limb with one very obscure band from Seattle that I found from a mix tap. Mars Accelerator!
This is a 90s alternative band that I have heard of but never got around to listening to. This album was a bit of a mixed bag; I really liked some songs, then other songs I couldn’t wait for it to end. Their sound, at least on this album, definitely falls into that mid-90s angsty ballad rock group. This was OK, but would much rather listen to other bands from this era. 3/5
Meh.
Interesting rock style with good background lyrics (don't need to focus on to enjoy). Hadn't heard of this band before
Honestly, I don’t know that I knew a lot about Pavement but this was a good listen
It was alright, but not particularly remarkable.
Все говорят вокал плохой, а я не соглашусь
I didnt mind this, but it didnt get under my skin. At times the hooks and guitars caught my attention, at other times the slacker vocal annoyed me. A recognisable single popped up for a flash of warm recognition but there wasnt much else. It was pleasant without grabbing me.
Jag läser att den här skivan aldrig slog i USA, men däremot i England. Det förvånar mig inte. Jämfört med det mesta av amerikansk indierock vi utsatts för på den här listan är Pavement något annat. Jag kan inte sätta fingret på vad, kanske melodierna är poppigare och närmare det europeiska uttrycket vid den här tiden på 90-talet - inte helt olikt en del av de svenska banden i swindie-vågen. Jag tror till exempel Popsicle höll Pavement högt. Men visst finns också spår av ett amerikanskt arv, ibland lite åt Lou Reeds nedtonade melodispråk, ibland åt lofi-country, som i Range life, skivans bästa spår. Värda att nämna är även SIlence kid, Elevate me later, Golden soundz och Unfair. En stark trea.
I liked this album, it sounded like a mashup of all the alternate bands from the 90s!
I believe this is the second Pavement album we’ve encountered. I’m a fan. They’re a fun band.
Could see myself getting more into it, the times Iistened
Slacker rock is pretty accurate. This album feels more like some high school friends making an album than a professional effort. Not necessarily a bad thing by any stretch as there's something to be said about a down-to-Earth relating-to-their-audience type of work. In mood and theme, it's closer to punk than rock with great "high school energy".
I'm seemingly stuck in a perpetual cycle of mediocre Rock 'N Roll albums. Again, there is nothing too bad, or too impressive with this album. Favorite Track: "Cut Your Hair".
Pues serán ídolos de culto entre el indie mundial y les elogio mucho la actitud ante la fama y el mercado, pero realmente me faltan canciones. O mejor, me falta un cantante, como es casi inevitable en todo este rollo del indie.
I dig it
Middling grunge punctuated with moments of impressive artistry. This album is very weird. If I was the label, I'd probably try to steer this talent in a different direction, but maybe it seemed right at the time.
Not a fan, and somewhat disappointed when this turned up, but it was better than I expected. That's all I have. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ Average ★★★☆☆ (5/10)
Low key, post-punk, alternative rock sound. I kind of liked it, maybe would grow on me with more time. But mostly indistinguishable tracks that left no last impression.
Another Pavement album? Another 3.
This was pretty good. I think I've listened to this band before, and while I enjoy them they don't really seem memorable to me.
I was expecting to like this more than I did. I know folks who really love this band, but this album didn't do much for me.
I’m not totally familiar with Pavements game, but this was an interesting listen. I’m going to come back to this one because I feel I didn’t allow myself time to really absorb it. Enjoyed what I payed attention to.
Liked more songs then I thought, always an underrated band in the grunge scene
Kind of a blend between punk and alternative. Nothing outstanding but a good listen. If it came up on the radio I’d listen but wouldn’t look them up
An interesting listen. Not afraid of dissonance, which is cool to hear outside of metal. Not it failed to have a song that really grabbed me
This album has me wondering if I haven't been thinking of this list all wrong. At this point, I'm almost 40% of the way through it, and the most frustrating aspect has been knowing that some great albums that I have loved over the years have been left off in favor of (often multiple) albums from groups and individual artists who seem to me to be far less talented and musically influential than my own favorites. But the list is called "1001 Albums YOU Must Hear Before YOU Die" (emphasis mine). What would a list be like if its goal was solely to introduce ME to albums I have not YET heard. I've already heard the great albums by the most popular groups represented here (The Beatles, David Bowie, Springsteen, The Stones). In fact, a quick review at what I've heard so far indicates I had probably heard roughly half of the albums I've been presented BEFORE I started letting this list tell me what to listen to first thing every morning. Should those albums even count? Hearing them AGAIN was often great, but it added little to my musical knowledge. Looking at the list this way helps me to understand why there are so many mediocre albums by semi-talented British groups from the 90s. I was busy raising three young children in the 90s and didn't have a lot of time to spare for listening to new albums. So the curators of the list had to find a bunch of albums from that era that *I* needed to listen to before I die. Thank you, list curators, for being so considerate! And I'm sorry that the 90s were so bereft of actual good music that you've found yourself having to resort to multiple albums from groups like Blur and The Fall. Now I know it's for my own good. I won't stop complaining, of course, but nobody ever said that medicine has to taste good. That said, I hadn't heard anything by Pavement before, but I found this album to be a lot of fun. I wouldn't be surprised if I listen to it again someday. :-)
I was very into music in 1994 and I remember the Haircut song, but nothing else from this album. It’s very indie in the best and the worst way. 2.5⭐️
Enjoyable album, I liked being able to see all the different influences come together for this sound. The tracks started to amalgamate towards the end but i enjoyed the final two tracks a lot so that,s okay
Favs - cut your hair Rock, low key though, catchy songs overall.
Un poco estridente y algo denso
I liked this album, I'm just not really sure how much.
Try as I might I just cannot bring myself to like this. It’s lacking in a crucial something to make it stand out. Unmemorable and uninspiring 2.5
Enjoyed it more than I initially thought I would, based on the distance in the first song. If pearl jam is sativa, Pavement is indica - it's like grunge for chill chillers.
The opening title track “Silence Kid” has the same melody as Buddy Holly “Every Day” - is that intentional? Pavement is decent indie rock, used to be more of a fan but sometimes it still borders on too noisy and out there. They made a sound that a lot of people continue to copy, even if they never caught on big time Love “Cut Your Hair”, sounds like a theme song to a Nickelodeon show.
No big hair.
I liked the lo fi sound. Overall it was okay
It was alright
Głos wokalisty mnie z czasem coraz bardziej denerwował, struktura utworów trochę chaotyczna, ale muzycznie niezłe.
Giong middle of the road. Mostly as a nod to CK.
This album contributes little to the pantheon. It almost passed me by by a couple of Thrills type bits and a decent closing track saved it from being completely without merit.
Nothing to really distinguish it from hordes of other shoe-gazer albums.
ja, wurmt sich immer mehr ins ohr hinein. „gmögiger“ indierock.
I hesitate to give it a 2 star but man some of it annoys me.
Indie is hit and miss with me, and this one hits on my scale. I think Malkmus takes some adjusting to for the uninitiated, though not going to be everyone's cup of tea.
6/10 Highlights: Range Life Fillmore Jive Stop Breathing Silence Kid
I didn't realize who pavement was at first, but when I heard the vocals I knew immediately. I enjoyed this, it was pretty decent.
It’s okay. You can see where Weezer and Foo Fighters got their ideas. Nothing really stands out on this album. For this genre, “Diary” by Sunny Day Real Estate is a classic. I assume it’s on this list. It should be.
Fairly listenable but somewhat forgettable.
I kinda get it, its like grunge, but I have no palette for it.
Interesting music even if the vocals were sometimes ragged and some of it started to repeat itself
Pretty good. Normally not a huge fan of the genre but I was digging this most of the time.
This was, what, the 2nd or 3rd Pavement reset, which largely continued until Terror or possibly BtC depending on where you stop the clock. It’s simply not the same band nor vibe as Slanted and the earlier EPs. The songwriting started to change with Frontwards, but the sound and production value was still rooted in Stockton and Gary Young. CR, CR not only lost Gary’s unique drumming with Steve West’s introduction, but this version of the band had a wider mix, a range of guitar sounds, a much fuller drum sound, actual bass guitars, etc. And Malkmus started writing, well, different songs, the wacky or noisy moments became more deliberate or obligatory, even rehearsed sounding, but gone were the Fall-inspired tangents and in were Pavement The Rock Band Songs. Which is roughly the sound that Pavement and Malkmus fans have known ever since. Is that a bad thing? Would we give up CR, CR through Terror Twilight and the various Malkmus solo projects if it meant staying with the Stockton sound? I became a fan via the Trigger Cut EP, finding it sometime shortly before CR, CR’s release and whenever S&E got big distribution. As such, my Pavement fandom has always skewed just a bit towards what came before 1994. But, that’s when I first saw them live, weeks before I even had this album, and that was a transformative experience for a young KPH. I vaguely knew you could get away with playing guitar “non-traditionally” but watching SM shamble his way through a set was very much having a lightbulb go off: a ha, I can do that, and I can probably not care about how I like doing it. This works! Sidebar, man that dude grew up so fast in the next 6(!) years. I went from seeing what still looks like a boyish figure (there’s a video of the concert at the Batschkapp in Frankfurt on youtube) to An Adult by the time he was playing solo at the Middle East. 6 years! Anyhow, the parts that worked for me as a teenager still largely do the trick, but there’s a bit missing from this now and that’s not because of my own problems with SM. I still loved Pavement’s music into the early 00s but I dunno, it’s...blocked off or something.
3.1 2x
pretty non de script but fine
This one is a bit of a head scratcher for me. I had heard "Stereo" before, but this album sounds very sloppy in places, and maybe that's the point. But if you have to explain the joke, it's not funny anymore. I didn't hate it, but I felt like I was missing the point the entire time. I would put it right at a 2.5 or 2.6, which rounds up to a 3. Top tracks: "Cut Your Hair", "Silence Kid", "Fillmore Jive"
Tough to love, probably easier to hate though I don't hate it. I feel a bit indifferent to it, which is fitting given the whole vibe of this album and Pavement in general. I enjoyed the opener and closer - Silence Kid and Fillmore Jive. Th opener slowly wakes you up and gives some life to the album. The closer is perfect - from the first few bars I thought "this must be the last song" with how it sounded like they were winding up and bringing you to the end of a journey. Yeah, I really love a great rock album closer and I really loved Fillmore Jive. Too bad the in between is forgettable. I know Cut Your Hair (most probably know it) and it's solid. But I'm not sure I could name another song that stood out. Maybe Elevate Me Later or Unfair.
If someone were to ask me to provide an example of 90s slacker rock - THIS. They're ok. A little noisy sometimes (e.g., the end of Unfair) and Stephen Malkmus' slacker lazy vocal style works sometimes and not others (e.g., the first couple of songs). It was ok, but I'm not a big fan. Tracks I liked: Stop Breathing (especially the guitar line in the latter part of the song), Cut Your Hair, Newark Wilder (nice vibe).
I’d never heard of pavement at all - enjoyed it! What this challenge is all about
Middle of the road 90's indie rock for me!
Solid
Knew I’d recognize a few. Solid mid 90s
this was a real mix for me! some i really enjoyed, some i just tolerated (i found ‘unfair’ screamy and grating for my tastes, or at least the mood i’m in today). quite a range of tone and sound through the album. experiencing something i’ve experienced before, where it sounds like so many things i’ve heard before - because this was a foundation for those more recent things. wild! favourite songs included ‘gold soundz’ (i like when songs reference their own structure), ‘5-4=unity’ which was REALLY interesting to me. listened to the album twice but still feel medium neutral towards it.
Mmmmm
Some interesting things going on here. Was that a sample of Everyday back there? Guitar notes jarring at times but it works somehow. Some good tracks in amongst what sounds like a bunch of surfers mucking around in their garage.
Instrumentation was enjoyable but the vocals were not.
Fine.
More refined album by the band. Songs are pretty good and the tone of the album works. Overall, thought this was good. 3.5/5 Probably will listen again
Good but not for me.
It's ok. I know it is raved about as a classic, I thought it was ok.
Ok, it's fine, just dull to me. I want to like Pavement as I understand they were influential in some of the music I like. But this was flat too often. I dug the Jazz parts though.
I was familiar with a few songs. The music was great, not a huge of the off-key singing though.
Hadn’t listened to this album before, knew a few tracks. Enjoyed it.
Decent slacker rock - as '90s as it gets! Creative and influential.
I feel like I've heard this album done better. Some good songs, but quite a lot of filler.
3+ Stars (9/15)
no to jest album ktorego mozna sluchac w konkretnym nastroju - jest to nastroj na gowniana muzyke. ogolem nie takie zle doswiadczenie mysle ze do niego wroce
Drei Plus Range Life
A band I would love to listen to in a backyard in a small party. Not an album I would revisit. 3/5
Great example of indie rock. Didn't do much for me personally but I can appreciate why other people would be into it.
I remember liking Pavement more. Still good.
Surprisingly good album
I really like Pavement, and this is a lovely album but feeling a bit stingy today and nothing stood out to me, just consistently good but lots of forgettable ones. I wish we could do 0.5s.
Pavement are very intentionally obtuse, eccentric and rough around the edges, all traits which have seen many an act topple over into the abyss of pretentiousness, but the California quintet manage to pull off the slacker schtick with confidence and swagger. The single selection from this, their "breakthrough" second album was spot on - the three tracks chosen are definitely the best Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain has to offer, but even if the remainder is a little more off-kilter and chart-unfriendly, this album is still somehow more than a sum of it's parts. I never quite understood Mark E Smith's claim that Pavement were just ripping off The Fall - although I disagree, I can maybe hear where he was coming from after reacquainting myself with tracks such as Hit The Plane Down. Unlike many of their peers, Pavement's wonky indie material has aged well, and I enjoyed listening to this again for the first time in a while.
More like 3.5. some amazing bits, but more songs that I wouldn't see myself coming back to
i've only been doing this album challenge thing for about 6 weeks and I feel like i've already listened to way too many alt-rock/noise rock/lo-fi albums that just sound like they were recorded by a bunch of 16 year olds in a garage. like the others, this straddles a line between endearing and annoying and I really can't tell what side it ends up on. i'd say endearing since some tracks remind me of early weezer, especially with some of the random lyrical non-sequitors. favorite song: "stop breathin" overall: 6/10
This was another good 90s album! And had a few songs I didn't really realize I knew them from! But I enjoyed it quite a bit actually!
Into it
This album really grew on me throughout the course of the day. As a whole, when listening to the album completely from top to bottom, it's very good as a full listen, but listening to just a song by itself doesn't really do it justice. Initially, I hated the singer's voice, but around the 5th (seriously) complete listen through, I kind of ended up loving it. Surprisingly that's happened a lot during the course of this challenge. For that reason, I'm glad I stuck with it, because this album really is pretty good. I heard it compared to "Fake Grunge" and I couldn't agree more. At times it sounds like they're just trying to mimic or mock what Grunge is supposed to sound like, for better or for worse. My favorite songs here are "Stop Breathin", "Range Life", and my actual favorite "Fillmore Jive". Curiously, my least favorite song was the hit single "Cut Your Hair", as I found it pretty annoying. Interesting little album they got here, I'm excited to see if I like the first one any more or less, It's supposed to be fairly different from this one.
Standard you know for this kinda vibe.
Sorry, but I found then a bit dreary. A couple of songs on the verge of being catchy. Some almost jazzy elements. I don't know about chords, but I bet they were mostly minor.
Similar to the previous Pavement album we had on the 1001 list, more generic 90s American indie shoegaze grunge rock. Which is great if you're into it.
Cover 6 Heard the name before but never listened. Didn't realize they were more of an 80s hair metal band from the 90s. They came out in the wrong decade for sure. Not bad. I'm no longer into that music but growing up I definitely was a "butt rocker." Now, I rarely listen too this genre and mostly for nostalgia. Otherwise, decent album.
Garage band vibes
It was alright, I'm not against listening to it again but I'm not sure how quickly I'd rush back to it.
Never really liked pavement, as an album it’s okay but loses me for a bit. Good album closer
Liked it
Is it weird that this reminded me heavily of Weezer, that’s not strictly a compliment, I like Weezer and specifically the blue album but they’re not a band I particularly like the sound of and the sound is pulled off very rarely. This was fine with some good moments
3.5 Some amazing songs! Some so-so
It was OK and I like Cut Your Hair, but not much else.
There's a lot of praise for Pavement, but I found this album to contain a few noteworthy songs, many unremarkable songs and some that sound like the Replacements but not as good. Filmore Jive and Hit the Plane Down stood out. Cut Your Hair was the only one I was already familiar with.
Early 90s Grunge/Indie Like the melodic stuff the most, like "Cut Your Hair"
15yr old me loved this
Mostly boring, but there are a few really good songs. Mostly it's just kind of droning, mid 902 background "alternative" music. I've been vacillating between 2 and 3 stars the entire album. I'll get a good song, then the next couple start to drain me closer and closer to 2 stars, then I'll get a good one that jumps me back up to 3 stars, and we start the process over again.
Rating: 6.5/10 Better production on this one and good overall, not enough highlights to justify a higher rating.
solid!
Not their best Big Fall influence.
While I was listening to this, I kept thinking it was really good. But then I noticed that I can't remember anything from it now that it's over. In fact, I am 90% sure I owned this on CD when it was new. But forgot all about it. That makes rating this really hard. It's good, but completely forgettable.
I'm quite on-board with the garage-rock sound. There's a kind of blasé, casual quality to it. I like his vocal delivery as well pretty much. There's some good tracks in here that stand out, but also plenty of middling ones that kind of merge into one. 3.5 rounded down.
Pretty middle of the road.
I’ve tried to listen to and enjoy Pavement so many times in the past and can never stand Stephen Malkmus’ voice. Something about his lackadaisical slacker intonation comes off whiny and grating.
Amiable post grunge slacker rock that sort of shambles into view, plays a series of songs about nothing much in particular (skateboards are mentioned at one point) and shambles off again, presumably to have a nice lay down somewhere. I mean, I didn’t hate it but it didn’t really grab me either. The highlight was a spacey instrumental riff on an old Dave Brubeck number that came out of left field.
Yet another me too band from the 90s
Yeh it’s an indie album, I liked it for a bit but then thought it lacked an emotional edge for me, didn’t make me feel anything positive or negative.
I liked this one that I totally missed in the 90's. I'll revisit it at some point, and I bet my rating will grow.
A good 90s alternative record. Not amazing, but really solid. I enjoyed this quite a bit, but it wasn't anything super special either. Sort of confused about what their issue with STP is, though, who definitely should have at least one album on this list (and probably deserve a space more than pavement). "Fillmore Jive" is probably the highlight for me. I wish I could give this a 3.5 because a 3 feels too low but a 4 feels a little too high. Ultimately rounding down because I don't love it the same way I loved the other albums I've given 4 stars to recently.
I enjoyed some of these songs.
Ok listen. Didn't move me.
There were a couple good tracks, but nothing that really stood out. It was all quite generic sounding.
One of those albums I'm not sure about because it was in an era when we were just listening to different stuff in the UK. Though the counterpoint is that this charted here but not in the USA. It starts slow, hits a few tunes in the middle then tails off. I don't know, I think I would have possibly liked this if it was one of "my" albums at the time.
Decent grunge-era album.
6/10
Very much of its time. Not a standout, but neither is it among the worst examples of the period. That said, "5-4=Unity" caused me to stop what I was doing and pay attention. Best, most unique piece on the album.
neat songwriting, quite charming
Either you like what Pavement is doing, or you don’t. Deciding how much you like or dislike what they’re doing will help you determine how much you love or hate them. I like what Pavement is doing, but I don’t love it. I find myself simultaneously wishing they were way weirder and more off-kilter, closer to a Sonic Youth or even Pixies, or more straight-forward ‘90s college rock, closer to Built to Spill or even Superchunk. By wanting to be both, they don’t really scratch either itch entirely. I think that’s exemplified clearly on Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, which starts off pretty strong with cohesive alt-rock songs with a little flair, but derails by the time of we get to the “radio single.” Songs like “Hit the Plane Down” with it’s out-of-tune guitar licks, or the deconstructed “Newark Wilder,” or the piss-take lounge of “5-4=Unity” all feel up its own ass, and, dare I say, pseudo-intellectual. And that’s really what annoys me about Pavement, because as soon as I start to give them a good hard look, I realize that they are pseudo-intellectual and self-indulgent in the worst ways. Whether that’s in the hatred of the mainstream in “Unfair,” the scene references in “Range Life,” or even the obnoxious self-obsession with ✨selling out✨ that ruins “Cut Your Hair,” it’s all so…boring. It’s of its time, so Gen X, and 30 years later, it makes my eyes roll to the back of my head. We get it, man, you’re never going to bend over for the ~man~, man! How original that you would never sell out, and yet, in 5 years, every time, you’re going to end up in a suit and tie. I’ve seen this one before, it’s the ending of Reality Bites, isn’t it? I think doing that on your lead single is especially annoying if you’re over the age of 21. Once you’re legally allowed to drink, this attitude becomes hard to take seriously, because it’s so obviously immature. Just write a good song, dude, this isn’t a purity test. And that’s what makes the good songs on Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain so much harder to stomach. Because they feel like a punchline for the piss-takes to just piss you off. And that’s annoying, because the good songs that aren’t purposefully off-kilter are actually really great here. But they’re only about half the record, and Pavement overall seems more interesting in fucking around. And I’m too grown up for that shit. It’s no surprise that “Fillmore Jive” is the best song here. It takes the strong songwriting Pavement are clearly capable of and adds in some of that weirdness that made them speak to a generation of scenesters. And the result is powerful, and, dare I say, generational. Now, is it just an updated version of a Modern Lovers song? Perhaps, and maybe that strips it of some of its power, but it’s much more successful in its messaging than piss-takes and set-ups for piss-takes. If Pavement focused on writing listenable songs for even 7/12 of this record, I’d like it a ton more. But to me, the 50/50 balance makes the whole thing feel lopsided. It tips over into an edgy direction that I don’t love, and colors the whole record. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is too in-between their best qualities and their worst, and I think makes for a flimsy listen in the end. There’s other Pavement records for me.
pretty good but not necessarily my jam. the singer’s voice can get kinda grating after awhile. gold soundz is a certified classic tho i have to say.
This was ultimately kind of anti-climatic 90s alternative rock. It leans in the "indie" direction of that 90s alternative rock scale, though; so it's a bit more chill and less hard hitting than other subgenres. So it was a fairly easy listen, but ultimately there just wasn't much there to pack a huge punch. But I am still a simple man who enjoys most 90s alternative stuff, so have your baseline average rating, I guess.
El álbum de slacker rock por excelencia. Me alegro mucho de haberlo escuchado, ya que no conocía a Pavement. Un grupo que representa la esencia rockera norteamericana de los 90, y que se mantuvo fiel a sus raíces indies. Muy buenas composiciones, una especie de stoner shoegaze con mucha personalidad, con una atmósfera y una voz melancólicas pero sin llegar a ser tristes. Un álbum interesante, fácil de escuchar, y que encarna el espíritu de una época.
6.5/10
Just… fine
Always interesting to hear music that released the year you were born, this indie rock album sounded pretty standard to me. Not much wrong, but also not really attention grabbing.
I'm not sure if this is unique to me, but this music makes me very uneasy. I suppose that's what they're trying to convey. It also makes me feel very much like a Dad... I want to slap these guys and tell them to speak up, apply themselves and contribute to society. If you're gonna do anything do it well god damn it! Obviously this is not resonating with me but I do appreciate what they're doing. A sloppier Replacements/Wilco. All this boils down to the fact I have a blind spot for 90's alternative/grunge music (unless you're REM or Nirvana).
Definitely heavier rock than I normally enjoy, but I didn’t hate it.
I liked it more as it went on. A 90s time capsule.
Eh, I’m pretty indifferent towards this one. Nothing particularly good or bad.
It wasn't bad, but it was pretty forgettable.
Tough album to find.
It was not bad.
A great 3 star! Fun. Allie said it reminded her of Doctor Dog. We enjoyed listening. Really good alternative(?) sound!
hätt ma mehr erwartet
C+W for the chronically depressed
3/5
Grungey. It was ok. ✅
This has grown on me *some* over the last 24 years (since I married a Pavement fan), but I would say I still only actively like a few songs on this album, and the rest I just feel kind of meh about. But the songs I do like I like quite a bit, so I’m still gonna rate it 3/5.
not bad but not for me
This is a pretty good album. I was never a big fan of the grunge movement of the 90s , so this is a breath of fresh air. It has some cool influances like the Stones and the Velvet Underground. I will revisit it.
***An ok album
"Cut Your Hair" ... yeah, OK. But I've never understood the hardcore devotion of Pavement fans. If you're a Pavement superfan, are you a Paver? Or an Ass-phalt?
I have a couple of friends who are huge Pavement fans and I have never really delved into their discography at all. I liked this and I imagine I’ll throw it on again, but it didn’t hit for me like it does for some people. Maybe I’ll change my mind! I'll listen again eventually.
Well played. Vocals are not my thing tho.
Kind of a tough one to rate. Overall it's a good album that is sort of the indie alternative to grunge in the 90s but there's just not a ton that really sticks out after a few listens.
This was OK I guess. Not enough on here to listen to it again but I am glad that I have listened to a Pavement album.
This record has good sides and bad ones, making it a decent but by no means an outstanding work. A few compositions do make a great use of guitar and possess much energy, while others are merely boring or mediocre. The latter mostly include 'soft' tracks. "Hit the Plane Down" and "Unfair" would be my picks for this album, while "5-4=Unity" deserves a special mention as a worthwhile instrumental. Long story short, average one with exceptions.
Not my thing but it was pretty good. The vocals were mostly good but at times had the dreary tone.
I want to like Pavement every time I put them on but it never really clicks. I liked a few songs but even then it was a pretty lukewarm feeling. Honestly, that might be my issue, with how purposely lofi it is, how is it supposed to make you feel anything stronger than lukewarm? Even as I type that, there have been plenty of stripped down, lofi artists that make me feel a ton so I still don't quite get my distaste with Pavement. There have been too many awesome bands that I didn't enjoy at first which is why I want to tread lightly with my criticism. I'm also not a big grunge fan, so I can appreciate how some would choose this in response to grunge's sound. Rating: 3.2
Just has a few songs that really like me, the other ones wasn't too good.
90s version of college rock. Sometimes trying to get the gritty 'low budget' sound you just slightly miss and this could be one case in point. Still Pavement had a few good tunes and shouldn't be swept off of .... the pavement.
Pretty good, liked few songs but probably won’t listen again
I knind of like the garage/indie/grunge vibe but so many others were doing it they all blend in. Not bad, just mundane.
Fair album.
The three singles that everyone knows from the 90s are good, the rest of the album is fine, but I don't know that I'll ever understand the thinking that this is an album that's needed to be listened to before dying. I get that a lot from this list, to be fair. YMMV.
Some parts I really like but the vocals and music occasionally really lack, some production could also have lifted this album. Overall though, not bad.
Solid 5.5
Had to listen to it twice and enjoyed it more the second time. I feel like this band could have been something even bigger. Lots to work with here, including the Dave Brubeck homage. Not crazy about the bitch-slap of Stone Temple Pilots, though.
3.5
I want to love Pavement, but I just can't get past the voice. The instrumental song was the only one I liked.
Pues… es lo que es. No me voy a hacer fan de los Pavimento pero tampoco me la pasé mal. Pero creo que ya se me olvidó.
Classic Pavement. Delightfully disjointed.
Another band the creator seems to quite like. Not sure why two of these have appeared now, I think one was more than enough. Don't think it had much of an impact on music, the soft - hard - soft style had been in use for many years by many bands already by this point, and I don't think this added much to the genre. Not an unenjoyable listen, but one I don't think I'll be putting on again anytime soon.
Beavis and Butthead were right, these guys need to try harder. It’s not a bad album though, it just is very much the same mood most of the time. Sometimes the singer would draw out his syllables at the end (not as bad as Dylan thankfully), and it would make me cringe. It was a good album for my morning listen, but kind of fell off into background music without me paying much attention to it.
Some great musical pieces here, especially towards the end. 3.5 stars
An album "stuck in time", but in a good way. A nice illustration of what 90's alternative/indie rock could do.
meh.
So so
Pretty good
kind of good but some are questionable, more of a 3.5
I wish I could say that I'd heard of Pavement or recognized some distinctive trait of them, but other than the somewhat later release year of this album, I'd be hard-pressed to distinguish them from a slew of 80s/90s indie bands like Dinosaur Jr, Meat Puppets, Wilco, etc., except perhaps a somewhat lighter edge and perhaps slightly-more-audible lyrics. But I'm also struck by how challenged I am to even remember the differences between most of the tracks on this album--"Stop breathin" and "Newark wilder" are a bit more acoustic-oriented than others, I guess? and "5-4=Unity" *does* have a somewhat more distinctive style/tone, in part as it's an instrumental. And although Wikipedia tells me that "Cut your hair" helped get them more attention, I certainly don't recall ever hearing it before, and aside from a somewhat quirky (and equally annoying) video, it didn't really make a big impression on me either. That said, I found "Range life" the most interesting song on the album, and its somewhat mesmerizing video centered on a Dutch music festival is worth watching (also hilarious that their mocking lyrics of Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots got them booted from their scheduled appearance at Lollapalooza in 1994). I believe Robert Christgau that in his eyes they're the "finest rockband of the '90s," but I just don't hear it, frankly. Although it looks like I'll get a second chance, as we're also going to get to hear their debut album in this collection ("Slanted And Enchanted"). I can't really capture in words how excited I am at this prospect....
I could happily take it or leave it. It was fine. A good indie album that's all in my opinion.
this was okay. 🫤 idk man. it was okay. can’t complain. 🫤
Pre-listening thoughts: show me a word that rhymes with pavement Post/during listening thoughts: ok here’s my deep dark confession. I was totally not listening to this in the active way I usually do. Stardew valley just dropped the 1.6 update for console and I’ve been back on my grind. So this was very much a background listen. I have to say from what I tuned in to, it was okay, nothing special but I didn’t hate it. So a solid 3. 6/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no but everyone should hop on stardew’s update Fav tracks: Gold Soundz, Range Life Least fav tracks: Stop Breathin, Hit the Plane Down
probably pavement’s worst since they played it super safe here but it’s still good.
We hebben al eerder het debuut van Pavement gehad en ik schreef daarbij dat ik benieuwd was naar het 2e album, in de hoop dat dat iets toegankelijker zou zijn. In de hoop dat de zure broeders er misschien ook nog enigszins plezier aan zouden kunnen beleven. Maar ik ben bang dat die hoop vrij snel de kop in wordt gedrukt. Het is ergens wel iets toegankelijker qua schreeuwen, maar ze blijven keurig net naast de juiste toon zitten (doet me denken aan Lou Reed en Velvet Underground). Expres vals spelen op de gitaar, die overigens erg fijn licht distorted is (ipv heavy distortion van vele tijdgenoten). Het hitje is Cut Your Hair, typisch 90s, beetje Weezer stijl. Range Life is ook nog enigszins bekend, een soort Spinvis. Maar het is toch een beetje 'flutmuziek', dat moet ik helaas toegeven. Het zal de zure broeders niet overtuigen ben ik bang. Ik vind het leuk om dit soort muziek af en toe voorbij te horen komen. Al vind ik 2 albums van Pavement schromelijk overdreven. Kies er gewoon 1 en zet het debuutalbum van Weezer er gvd in (waarom staat dat er in vredesnaam niet in???). Ik zou er uit ergernis een punt afdoen, maar dan straf ik de band voor de onbegrijpelijke keuzes van Robert Dimery en consorten. Kreeg het eerste album uit een soort van verrassing en idee dat het potentie had nog tot een 4, nu kom ik ondanks een leuk hitje niet verder dan een vergeetbare 3. En dan ben ik nog mild. Het is dat me het verder niet stoorde.
I could imagine listening to this in the basement, next to the keg, at a college party 20 years ago. Very chill, stoner music. Boring & forgettable.
Felt like generic 90s alternative stuff. I normally like that kind of thing and probably would have enjoyed this if I heard it first, but as is it feels a little too bland and derivative. "Cut Your Hair" is cool though.
By all means this should be a 4- or 5-star album for me, genre-wise, but something didn't click for me. The songs aren't particularly memorable, generally lacking any real hooks, riffs, or singability – excluding some standouts like Cut Your Hair, Gold Soundz, and Range Life. The singing is pretty lacklustre, though the guitar-playing mostly makes up for it. I'm a big fan of the acoustic guitar in Range Life (it really defines the track) and the simple yet stylish distortion in the guitar and (partially) the drumming. The main thing that really brings this down is the vocals in several particular tracks. In Newark Wilder, Stop Breathin, and Heaven Is a Truck, the singing is done quite lazily and atonally, almost giving the impression of an untalented band. But clearly these guys have talent (exhibit A: the instrumental track 5-4=Unity). I'm giving a generous 3 stars because I think this band is better than they're letting on. 3/5 Key tracks: Cut Your Hair, Gold Soundz, 5-4=Unity
Eh.
90's slacker rock is not for me but I can't deny the talent of the band.
Quite decent indie-rock. It seems that I don’t have the time to listen to it enough to do it justice. A couple more spins, and I guess more songs would’ve grown on me.
Whiny. Not terrible.
It sounds like the type of 90's music that I loved (and still do) but somehow this didn't quite hit the spot.
Thanks to the random number generator, I've had two Pavement albums back to back. For me, Crooked Rain Crooked Rain is a significant downgrade from Slanted and Enchanted. I enjoyed several songs, particularly Cut Your Hair and 5-4=Unity, but the more polished sound didn't have the energy or little pockets of interest that Pavement's debut album did. Crooked Rain Crooked Rain is still a good album but, as someone who doesn't listen to Pavement all that often, I can't see why I'd listen to it over Slanted and Enchanted. 3 Stars feels a little harsh, but giving it the same 4 as their previous album feels overly generous. If it were out of 10, this album would be a low 7 whereas Slanted and Enchanted would be a high 8 for me.
Favorite Track: Cut Your Hair
Listened to this a lot as a teen. Always sorta dug it and the style... but no real reason why. Cut Your Hair was the draw and is still the best track. I enjoy it a lot. The rest of the album, not so much.
Having never listened to them before I can say that I understand why they became but it's popular as they did, and why they ended up in the book. But I did overall find it underwhelming
Definitely more listenable than Slanted and Enchanted (although it has been over 900 albums ago), this often sounds like decent 90s alternative music with a few abrasions here and there. It might grow on me with repeated listening, but as of today I thought it was fine, but not something I actually want to go back to.
I don't know...I guess it is a 3. It's a "whatever" for me.
With this rating, I will reveal our last album in this project. For the penultimate album, we had our second from Pavement. It's fine. In three years, we've had zero albums from each of the following: Laurie Anderson Pat Benatar En Vogue Melissa Etheridge Bobbie Gentry Heart Whitney Houston Indigo Girls Joan Jett Grace Jones Gladys Knight Alison Krauss Martha Reeves Diana Ross Salt-n-Pepa Carly Simon Donna Summer This is your last chance 1001 to put one of these deserving artists on the list. Revealing the last in three...two...one...
Did not like this music style
A good US alternative rock/indie rock album from the first half of the 1990s, I liked the general vibe of it, though nothing really stands out, I think I prefered Slanted and Enchanted over this album.
Encore une voix de cul sur du bon instru
I appreciate the jangly indie sound but it didn’t stand out too much
Pleasant enough. 2.5
One of those albums I've enjoyed for years but if you asked me to hum one of the tunes I'd be stumped before singing "stereo" which is on a different album. OK I might get "Cut your hair" classic. I really like it and always have though "Terror Twighlight" is the album I discovered them with. There is something hard to quite lock onto with their songs. It's great to hear an American band being sardonic and casually anarchic and not trying too hard, and like Pixies not chasing a genre to fit in. A good snarky album by a unique band who ended up being influential by accident.
Interesting. Liked it enough, but it can't quite break into 4-star range. Clear 3.5.
It’s def not my fav, but it was fine
Okay album.
Not my jam. Not terrible though
Favorite Track: 5-4=Unity
Makes me think of the kind of music the Velvet Underground would have made if they had originated in the 90s and didn’t have Lou Reed or John Cale in the lineup: good, but missing a little something that stops it from being great.
Peak 90's alternative Meh.
3.5 I fuxed with it
This was a really solid take on alternative rock. Even though it might not be the best in its genre, I still had a good time with it and it's very listenable and has a nice range of sounds.
Noisy and boring for me, but better than I expected given previous experiences with Pavement.
Better than the other pavement album!
NO BIG HAIR!
🤷🏻
Wooow... It's so auuuthhheeeenntic. It sounds like all the other artsy suburban boys that are just in it for the art man... Sure, they are the pioneers of this sound but it doesn't make it less boring now. The artistry is there. This is objectively a very impressive album and probably deserves more than a 3 but I just hate when good bands intentionally mix themselves into washed out oblivion. I'm certain if I was a teen in 1994 this would have been my spirit album the same way that Hail to the Thief felt inspiring to me when I found it at 14. But I'm not a teen anymore and there is just better music out there. Hoping their other albums might be better because I want to be cool enough to like Pavement.
Fun album. Some total misses
2.5. It's fine. It's not as good as every dude in a tshirt over a longsleeve insisted it was.
Pretty good
It has elements of the early '90s Grunge/Alt Rock boom, but some songs have an indie rock style that wouldn't be found again until the late '90s/early '00s. Album opener Silence Kid and the mid-album run of Cut Your Hair/Newark Wilder/Unfair/Gold Soundz (tracks 4-7) are the highlights of this album. Issues with vocal performance and lyricism will prevent the rest of the album from being a repeat listen for me (and Unfair has some vocal performance issues as well). Decently innovative work on this album here, 3 stars.
Decent. Some excellent songs and some abrasive ones.
That is was ok. Looking at reviews I feel like I missed something so I'll give it another shot probably. WIll I listen to again: 50%
It was okay.
3, nothing special
By no means Pavement's better record, but Crooked Rain Crooked Rain is a sound that was so non-existent in this time period that it's refreshing. 3.5/5
This album would have been my life if I'd heard it when I was 16.
Nothing wrong with pavement, although also nothing special. Much like actual pavement
I'm a fan of this one, always have been. Almost a four.
Decent enough album. Not one I would have sought out, but still one I did enjoy enough.
it's fine. Nothing good to note, nothing bad to note.
This album had the style of garage punk and lo-fi genres without being excellent at either or combined. While it was not terrible, the vocals sometimes had a lazy quality and the instrumentals seemed average.
Not 100% certain what to think of this album (or this band). They sound good for the most part, lyrics are good, production is good as well. There's just something missing for me.
Classic American alternative album I hadn’t heard before…. Nice melodies from my generation across the pond… Elevate me Later, Gold Sounds, Fillmore Jive all stood out for me
Like Nirvana, I'm sure these guys made some songs that really grab me or an overall sound I like, but it's not on this album.
I never really got into Pavement, but this album was decent. Not something I would choose to listen to frequently.
Pavement is good. It sorta passes me by, but I enjoy it nonetheless. I don't really see what would have me revisiting this, but I have no qualms giving it a mid-3. 3.49/5
This was ok, I think 3 stars
Thought I would hate this, but didn’t. Some catchy tunes, decent lyrics. Don’t need to hear again, though.
3st
Fine. It doesn't stand out from any of the others during the 90's.
Pleasant to my ears, pleasant to my mood, pleasant to my style. 3/5
Just decent. There's not a lot of energy in the performances, but pretty chill. Fav track: Heaven Is a Truck
All the songs were a little samsies. If you’ve heard one, you’ve pretty much heard them all. It doesn’t get offensive until the second to last song, which I got unreasonably annoyed with and actually started to give me a headache. They’re unique for sure. I wish there was something of substance here, though. They ultimately feel like a band that wanted to be a band so they formed a band and only started making music because that’s what a band does. I do love “Cut Your Hair” though. Banger. The rest of it I can take or leave. 3/5
nice rock album
I’ve never really listened to Pavement, and this was better than I thought it would be. Some funky tunes on here.
another indie album i tried to get into but i couldn't get into that much. super-duper sleazy. i feel like i've used that word a few times in the reviews i've done but i don't know any other word to describe it. it's a very... tired sounding album. it's another day where i appreciate the vibe but it just doesn't click. oh well.
Pavement have perfected the combination of having a singer that can’t really sing and a band that play slightly out of tune. They’ve turned that combo into album of songs you almost want to skip but you don’t. This album flows nicely together. There aren’t any top 10 songs but that’s not Pavements style. At least that’s what I’ve gotten from listen to 1 album plus 2 other songs. I have frequently thought to myself that I need to listen to more from this band. Again I have that thought after hearing Unfair. Choice cut: Unfair
Better than the previous Pavement. First half is the best and pretty good overall. Cut Your Hair and Unfair are my favorites.
These guys love a discordant note lol. Pretty good, quite gritty but the singers overly American pronunciation is somewhat grating.
Meh
A laid-back and lazy alternative rock album that feels melancholic and bittersweet in some parts, and downright low-effort in others. Pavement fluctuates between the dear intimacy of a sleepy, whispered confession and bored dudes making noise for the sake of it. Guitar work is pretty good, with arpeggiated overdriven lead lines and eighth-note builds, but can be sloppy and garage jammy. Rhythm work is solid. Pretty great music for a boring, low-effort summer afternoon. Stand out tracks include "Silence Kid", "Stop Breathin", "Range Life," and "Fillmore Jive".
Pavement. Ik denk al snel aan het luie, maar wel inhoudelijk interessantere broertje van Weezer. Het mist voor mij net te vaak de catchy riffs en hooks om het echt hoog te raten. Toch kan ik wel genieten van een aantal nummers. Waaronder Stop Breathin, lekker mellow. Gold Soundz is voor mij het ultieme hoogtepunt. Ik ben misschien gewoon een sucker voor de catchy melodie en jangly gitaartjes. Ook de instrumentale jam '5-4=Unity' is een leuke twist in dit album. De jazzinvloeden zijn goed te horen bij dit nummer. Je hoort een wat modernere, indie-achtige versie van Take Five. Bij Heaven is a Truck heb je mij even verloren. De boodschap zal vast grappig of quirky gevonden worden, maar ik zie er de lol niet echt van in. Gezapig nummer. Hit the Plane Down klinkt alsof de gehele band net een flinke dosis heroine binnengeharkt heeft. Misschien dat ik dit onder invloed beter kan waarderen. Highlights: Cut Your Hair, Gold Soundz, Stop Breathin. Rating: 6/10. Doe mij maar Weezer.
This album was just ok, but I appreciated the listen.
Pleasant listen. Nothing exciting, but nothing bad.
Dit is Indie muziek zoals ik altijd dacht dat het was. Saaiig, wel muzikaal en prettig, maar je vergeet binnen 5 minuten wat je gehoord hebt.
Ok
I don’t know that I’ll ever seek out listening to that again, but I oddly enjoyed it.
One or two of these caught my attention but mostly not my style.
I listened to this twice yesterday and can’t remember a single thing about it. This sums ‘Crooked Rain Crooked Rain’ up I suppose; bland and forgettable Indie Rock.
Pretty good
I hadn't really listened to much Pavement, though I knew "Cut Your Hair" off this album. I know this band is super revered, but it was just okay for me, at least on first listen. They're like a rougher Weezer—not bad, but not totally my style. They also sound a bit like Pixies, who I like more, so maybe the album will grow on me over time. Some of the tracks were cool—"Cut Your Hair," "Unfair," and "Range Life" were highlights for me—but a lot of the lyrics are really esoteric and the music can get same-samey after a while. Other things I noticed were that the opening track seems to rip off the melody from Buddy Holly’s “Everyday” (fitting since they remind me of Weezer and their song "Buddy Holly" also came out in 1994). There’s also a part in “5-4=Unity” that’s obviously take from “She’s So Heavy” by the Beatles. I just thought that was interesting since a lot of the songs are about the death of rock n roll. 3/5 for me right now, but I'll probably give it a few more listens and see if it grows on me.
A bit too casual even for indie rock.
Definitely found it's feet half way through. Reminded me of the soft grunge bands in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.